- Hidemi Kon
Infobox Writer
name = Hidemi Kon
caption = Kon Hidemi
birthdate = birth date|1903|11|6|df=y
birthplace =Hakodate, Hokkaidō ,Japan
deathdate = death date and age|1984|7|30|1903|11|6|df=y
deathplace = Kamakura,Japan
occupation = Writer and literary critic
genre = essayist and literary criticism, short stories
movement =
notableworks =
influences =
influenced = nihongo|Hidemi Kon|今 日出海|Kon Hidemi|extra=6 November 1903 –30 July ,1984 was aliterary critic and essayist active inJapan during theShowa period .Early life
Born in
Hakodate, Hokkaidō , Kon Hidemi was the younger brother of writer and politicianKon Tōkō . As a student atTokyo Imperial University , he became interested in drama, and took part instage play s as a member of the "Kokoroza", a theatrical company created by "kabuki " and stage actors as an effort to create a more modern version of traditionalJapanese theater . After graduation, he obtained part-time jobs at a number ofliterary magazine s, including "Bengei Shuto" and "Bengakukai", providing essays, translations ofAndre Gide , and literary criticism.In 1941, he was drafted into the
Imperial Japanese Army ; however, the army recognized his talents and assigned him to the press corps in Japanese-occupiedPhilippines . He returned to Japan once on leave, but was sent back to the Philippines in 1944, as the situation was turning sour for the Japanese forces. He had a narrow escape with death in combat while reporting on the fleeing Japanese army. Taken prisoner at the end of the war, he eventually returned to Japan.Literary career
In 1949, Kon published "Sanchu Horo" ("Wandering in the Mountains"), a story based on his wartime experiences in the Philippines, which marked the start of his literary career. He received the
Naoki Prize for hisshort story , "Tenno no Boshi" ("The Emperor's Hat") in 1950.While serving as manager of the art department within the Ministry of Education from 1945-1946, he created the
Japan Arts Festival , now an annual event for the promotion of cultural activities, especiallyJapanese literature . In 1968, he became the founding director-general of the government'sAgency for Cultural Affairs , and in 1972, became the first president of theJapan Foundation , contributing greatly to international cultural exchanges.Kon's other biographical works include "Miki Kiyoshi ni Okeru Ningen no Kenkyu", a fictional biography of the philosopher
Miki Kiyoshi , and "Yoshida Shigeru ," about the life of the post-warPrime Minister of Japan .Kon moved to Kamakura,
Kanagawa Prefecture around 1931. After a temporary move to Tokyo after World War II, he returned to Kamakura, where he lived from 1951 until his death in 1984 at the age of 81.His grave is at the Catholic Cemetery in Kamakura.
ee also
*
Japanese literature
*List of Japanese authors External links
* [http://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/bunka/bunjinroku/konhidemi_e.htm Literary Figures of Kamakura]
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